Pietermaritzburg - The Moerane Commission of Inquiry into political violence in KwaZulu-Natal has recommended that the state should take measures to depoliticise and professionalise the public service.
In one of the recommendations contained in the commission’s 400-page report, it states that the “political deployment of persons as government functionaries into positions without the appropriate qualifications must be discouraged and eliminated as a practice.”
The commission, which was established in October 2016 to investigate the underlying causes of political killings, found that that there was “overwhelming evidence that access to resources through the tender system is the main root cause of the murder of politicians”.
The report was tabled by Premier Willies Mchunu in the provincial legislature on Thursday afternoon.
Mchunu said themes and trends emerging from the findings of the commission suggest that:
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The murder of politicians is predominantly committed at a local level involving mainly councillors and branch leaders of various political parties
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Being elected councillor is perceived to create opportunity for access to resources through tenders
The commission had also found evidence of state institutions particularly security institutions being manipulated by politicians for political ends.
Mchunu, who has been accused by the opposition on sitting on the report, said he had to follow the conventions of the legislature and had to deliver it to the legislature first.
He called for cooperation from the various political parties saying every recommendation in the report will be dealt with.